The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-31
THE EMPIRE OF FASHION
THE PROGRESS AND PERMANENCE
CT IDEAS IN DRESS.

The Adapttvs ness of Fashion to the
Needs of Modern Civilization Fit
ness Versus Prettiness-- Adherence
10 the Practical and Convenient
Good Taste aud simplicity in the
Dress of French Delicacy
and Durability of French Underwear
The Recent Russian Mania Russian
Peasant and Court Costumes Some
Pretty Notions-The Independents
Bodice-Fancies and Fashions in Met
al Buttons and Belts.
New York. Dec. 3O.--The greatest and
most important change which has taken
place of late years in regard to dress, fashion
itself has effected without any flourish of
trumpets and without getting any credit as
a''reformer" This is in substituting fitness
for prettiness. The toboggan costume
proper is about as ugly as can be imagined.
1t is blanket cut into skirt and sacque,
with worsted cap that looks exactly like
an old-fashioned knitted night cap. Yet the
girls glory in this dress and look well in it,
thick, shapeless and dire adful as it often is.
The women tricyclists, who are becoming
a numerous body and always belong to
wealthy, or at least well-to-do class, do not
give a thought to the becomingness of their
attire; it is what is most convenient, most
comfortable and proves no obstacle to skim
ming along a road as fast as man. After
twenty or thirty miles of good riding, they
are not afraid to go. to a club supper or
dance in their plain, lInsey-woolsey short
skirts, blouse or Jersey waist and ''com-
mon sense" boots. Their ewes are bright.
their cheeks are red their spirits are high;
they forget their clothes, for the woman is
superior to Them she is there at her best
not at her worst, as when overpowered by
dress and the endeavor to display it and not
herself, to the best advantage.
This step may not seem so much to a
great many, because it is not taken by all
women and all at once; but it is of vital i'm
portance for all that and includes much
more than shows upon the surface. 1t
means health, honesty, the riddance--
largely--of whatever is found to be burden
some and an obstacle; and TO come back to
the original statement, the gradual substi-
tuition in the minds of women of suitability
instead of prettiness, which, by ignorant
straining, so often fails of the result.
This idea of fitness and suitability has
another good side-it leads to permanence in
essential things and ideas. Once some
thing has been found which meets the
wants and well performs it's functions, it
will be required again; it will be kept for
its purpose, or only permitted to diverge in
slight and unimportant ways. This has
been the tendency of fashion for
the last twenty-five wears. and
though igaorant fashion-mongers, who
cling TO oil ideas and cannot be per-
suaded that the world moves and that when
it does move there is an advance all along
the line, endeavor to revive absurdities or
appeal to restless cravings after novelty,
it is without much success. Startling things
4 L.. =
colored" J.. :, but it turns out the same black
cat after all.
The short walking dress, the cloth jacket,
the hat, the boots, the convenient redingote,
the Jersey fitting garments, the Princess
dress al. came to stay. They have all been
introduced within the last thirty years, and
have simply improved and acquired varia-
tions and adaptability; but the foundation
principle in them remain the same. The
most simple and the most practical dresses
are those worn by the most fashionable
women; and if you go into shop, the gar
ment or costume of apparently plainest cut
will be found the most expensive, the de-
sign, materials and workmanship being the
best.
EMANCIPATION OF DRESS.
Fashion is responsive and appreciative.
The moment cottons were improved in the
manufacture-made soft, fine and adaptable
it adopted them, took them under its
wing, applied graceful, informal ideas and
designs to them, adorned them with ribbons
and decorative touches, and, in short, raised
them out of the wash-tub to place beside
the queen on the throne.
Wool, also, now outranks silk for street
and general wear, and this is due to the
prestige impaired to it by fashion, which in
time will be REINFORCED by sense and ex-
perience So that wooden materials, health
full, diversified durable, may also be set
down as a safe investment, sure, now they
have come in such varied and attractive, as
well as useful guise, to stay.
The woman is emerging, that is all; she
is becoming superior to her clothes, and fash
ion would not be fashion, if it did not take
the lead. That is why dress reform move
ment always wants to be made to seem
fashionable, and be taken up by social lead
ers; but the difficulty is, social leaders do
not make fashion, it lies deeper, it is part
of the universal order, it cannot be pernla-
nently made or un-made at any ones bid
ding. 1t does not consist merely in the
length of sleeve, the color of dress or
bonnet, it is evolutionary. self-acting, self
weating and part of the life of the age.
This is the reason why it is always so
much better to be thankful for what we
have arrived ct, than to cultivate spirit of
fault-fnding and condemnation, which will
rarely be found to work out anything better
us acquainted with the best.
There are no women on the face of the
earth who give good ideas more perma-
nent place than the French; or who are less
disturb by the changes and caprices of
what is called fashion, but which are really
trade tricks to cato the dull and the idle,
VINO having no resources, want eternal and
incessant change in personal belongings and
the little details of their lives. Ten or
more years ago, an American lady found in
Paris, at one of the great shops, a white
skirt for dressy underwear. 1t was exactly
what she wanted. 1t was flounced round
the bottom and to the yoke band at the
back very neatly, and trimmed with fine
embroidery. Inside, at the back, were
short, narrow tapes-six, three on side
to which were tied very small, fine, fexi-
BILE and delicate tournure The skirt was
bought, brought to America, kept for vest
Short wear for four years, when the pur-
chaser again visited Paris for the self-same
skirts--or others exactly like them--bought
another and brought 1t home, where 1t
served her as well as the first, and the i'm
ported and illustrated French understands OF
to-day show no change, nor did they while
we here were passing through the recent
brief attempt at supremacy OF big bustles.
wrap bought on that first visit and a
dress on the occasion of the second are still
more than wearable: they would be con-